Printing cartridge with two-dimensional encoding formations

Abstract

A printing cartridge for an inkjet printer includes a housing which is engageable with the printer. An ink supply arrangement is positioned in the housing and is connectable to an ink feed arrangement of the printer to feed ink to the printer when the housing is engaged with the printer. A print media supply arrangement is positioned in the housing and incorporates a roll of print media. The housing defines an exit slot from which the print media can be fed. A print media feed arrangement is positioned in the housing and is operable to feed print media from the exit slot. An array of detectable formations is positioned on the housing to be sensed by a sensing arrangement positioned in the inkjet printer. The array represents a two-dimensional code relating to at least one of the ink and the print media.

1. A printing cartridge for an inkjet printer, the printing cartridge comprising
 a housing which is engageable with the printer; 
 an ink supply arrangement that is positioned in the housing and is connectable to an ink feed arrangement of the printer to feed ink to the printer when the housing is engaged with the printer; 
 a print media supply arrangement that is positioned in the housing and incorporates a roll of print media, the housing defining an exit slot from which the print media can be fed; 
 a print media feed arrangement positioned in the housing and operable to feed print media from the exit slot; and 
 an array of detectable formations positioned on the housing to be sensed by a sensing arrangement positioned in the inkjet printer, the array representing a two-dimensional code relating to at least one of the ink and the print media. 
 
   
   
     2. A printing cartridge as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the print media supply arrangement includes a cylindrical former on which the roll of print media is positioned, the ink supply arrangement being an ink cartridge that is received in the former, the ink cartridge including a closure arrangement that is configured to open when the housing is engaged with the printer. 
   
   
     3. A printing cartridge as claimed in  claim 2 , in which the ink cartridge is generally cylindrical to be concentrically positioned with respect to the former, the ink cartridge defining a number of ink reservoirs that extend a length of the cartridge, each reservoir containing a different ink. 
   
   
     4. A printing cartridge as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the print media feed arrangement includes a roller assembly that engages an end of the print media, the roller assembly being engageable with a drive mechanism of the printer when the housing is engaged with the printer. 
   
   
     5. A printing cartridge as claimed in  claim 4 , in which the roller assembly includes a drive roller that is engageable with the drive mechanism of the printer and a pair of driven rollers, the rollers being relatively positioned to carry out a de-curling operation on the print media. 
   
   
     6. A printing cartridge as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the two-dimensional code represented by the array of detectable formations relates to both the ink and the print media. 
   
   
     7. A printing cartridge as claimed in  claim 1 , in which the array of detectable formations is an array of projections which are configured to actuate a corresponding array of capacitive sensors. 
   
   
     8. A printing cartridge as claimed in  claim 7 , in which the array of projections are micro-moldings of an electrically conductive material.